Marc Staal, as a hockey player and a human being, got good news on Wednesday.

Doctors expect the Rangers defenseman,who was hit in the eye with a puck on Tuesday night, to make a full recovery. The team released the news on Wednesday night, saying that Staal was examined by an ophthalmologist and maxillofacial surgeon, and that both felt good about what they saw.

It's fantastic, if a bit of a pleasant surprise; Staal, who does not wear a visor, appeared to get caught flush in the eyeball with a tipped shot. He writhed on the ice in pain and lost blood before heading to the training room.

For time being, he's sidelined indefinitely. Hopefully when he returns, he takes care of that whole visor thing.

Earlier in the day, Staal's brother Eric, the captain of the Carolina Hurricanes, said swelling needed to go down before a prognosis could be made.

"He sounded like he was in OK spirits but we don't know a lot right now. Obviously we're saying prayers and hoping he dodged a bullet as far as being struck in that area. We'll know more with some more time," Eric Staal told NHL.com.